Parallel and distributed simulation

Abstract

Parallel and distributed simulation is a field concerned with the execution of a simulation program on computing platforms containing multiple processors. This article focuses on the concurrent execution of discrete event simulation programs. The field has evolved and grown from its origins in the 1970's and 1980's and remains an active field of research to this day. An overview of parallel and distributed research is presented ranging from seminal work in the field to address problems such as synchronization to recent work in executing large-scale simulations on supercomputing platforms. Directions for future research in the field are explored.